Although the pace of those claims is well below its recent peak of 670,000 (in March 2009) and is back where it was before the economy slipped into recession in December 2007, it's still above the 250,000-to-300,000 level of the late '90s and early 2000s, when the economic growth was stronger.

"The Federal Reserve is using its monetary policy tools to promote a more robust recovery. A strong recovery will ultimately enable the Fed to reduce its monetary accommodation and reliance on unconventional policy tools such as asset purchases. I believe that supporting the recovery today is the surest path to returning to a more normal approach to monetary policy."

Financial markets are interpreting that passage as a signal that she'll support continuing the Fed's stimulus policy into next year.